Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet
In 18th-century Barbados, cane sugar production relied on cast-iron syrup kettles, a method later embraced in the American South. Sugarcane was squashed utilizing wind and animal-powered mills. The extracted juice was heated up, clarified, and evaporated in a series of cast-iron kettles of decreasing size to create crystallized sugar.
Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane cultivation started in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants presented crop. The island's soil and favourable climate made it an ideal location for harvesting sugar. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest colonies in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England."By the mid-17th century, Barbados had actually become one of the most affluent nests in the British Empire, making the label "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:
Boiling Sugar: A Lealthal Job
Sugar production in the days of colonial slavery was a perilous process. After collecting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in huge cast iron kettles up until it crystallized into sugar. These pots, frequently arranged in a series called a"" train"" were heated up by blazing fires that workers needed to stoke continuously. The heat was extreme, the flames unforgiving and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers endured long hours, often standing near the inferno, running the risk of burns and fatigue. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not unusual and could trigger extreme, even deadly, injuries.
Living in Peril
The risks were constant for the enslaved Africans entrusted with working these kettles. They laboured in intense heat, inhaling smoke and fumes from the boiling sugar and burning fuel. The work demanded intense physical effort and accuracy; a minute of negligence could cause accidents. Regardless of these obstacles, shackled Africans brought amazing ability and resourcefulness to the procedure, making sure the quality of the final product. This item fueled economies far beyond Barbados" coasts.
By acknowledging the harmful labour of enslaved Africans, we honour their contributions and sacrifices. Barbados" sugar industry, built on their backs, shaped the island's history and economy. As we admire the relics of this era, we need to also keep in mind the people whose work and strength made it possible. Their story is an important part of understanding not just the history of Barbados however the broader history of the Caribbean and the international effect of the sugar trade.
The next time you see pot in a relaxing garden or museum, remember that it is more than a decorative piece. It is a memory of the hands that laboured, the lives that endured, and the resilience that continues to influence.
HISTORICAL RECORDS!
Abolitionist literature on The Risks of the Boiling Trains
Abolitionist literature, consisting of James Ramsay's works, details the horrific dangers dealt with by enslaved workers in sugar plantations. The boiling house, with its alarmingly hot barrels, was a deadly workplace where exhaustion and severe heat led to terrible accidents.
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